Cardboard containers for small articles are well known. One type of such container is referred to as a slip case type package. With a slip case type package, a portion which might be referred to as a drawer or tray receives the articles which are to be contained. This drawer or tray is slideably received within a surrounding case or sleeve which provides an enclosure for the otherwise open top of the drawer or tray. Since the drawer or tray is slideably received within the sleeve, the package receives its name of slip case.
The existing method of making the sleeve of a slip case package starts with the formation of a stiff cardboard blank which is formed into a sleeve member and which is typically glued to retain its shape. Since slip case packages are utilized for the marketing of many products, printed graphics are thereafter affixed to the formed sleeve member, which identify the products contaided therein. To accomplish the affixation of the graphics, the graphics are first printed upon a wrapping material. The wrapping material is typically formed in two pieces, a top piece which covers the top and sides of the sleeve member of the slip case package and a separate bottom piece which is used to cover the bottom of the sleeve. The wrapping material is usually made of a thin, lightweight paper which is adhesively bonded to the sleeve. This method of construction presents certain limitations.
First, the wrapping material containing the printed graphics to be affixed to the sleeve of the slip case package is usually aligned by hand with respect to the sleeve and, as a result, tight borders on the graphics printed upon the wrap are a problem because of tolerances in alignment by hand. Also, because the wraps are made in two separate pieces, it is difficult to have graphic designs which have continuous borders. Thus, because of this alignment problem, the type of graphics which may be used is limited. In addition, the thin paper wraps containing the graphics require hand operations that are difficult to mechanize, thus making the slip case package expensive to produce.
While it would be desirable to print the required graphics directly on the surface of the stiff cardboard material used to form the sleeve member itself, the cardboard does not lend itself to traditional high quality printing techniques.
It would be desirable to provide an improved slip case package and method of making the same which did not suffer from the aforementioned disadvantages.
Specifically, it would be desirable to provide an improved slip case package and method of making the same which eliminate the necessity of employing two piece paper wraps having graphics thereon for applying trade information to the package.
It would be further desirable to provide an improved slip case package and method of making the same which did not suffer from the graphic alignment problems typical of prior art slip case packages.
Still further, it would be desirable to provide an improved slip case package and method of making the same in which graphics could be affixed thereto in highly efficient machine handling operations.